 Will Pickup Northbound Schedule Sunday Morning in Juneau December 30, 2005
"We are especially pleased that the work in Seattle has been completed in a timely manner, which has allowed us to get the LeConte back on schedule on January 1," said Captain John Falvey, AMHS General Manager. "The repairs to the shaft couplings were expertly done, approved by the American Bureau of Shipping, and the vessel was certified for passenger service by the Coast Guard in Bellingham today." Falvey said the shaft repairs were in line with AMHS engineering estimates after the vessel was taken out of service in Sitka on December 5. The shipyard also made permanent repairs to damage done to the hull on November 30, when the LeConte grazed the metal top of a piling in Petersburg. This "allision" put a 10-12 inch gash in the forepeak of the vessel, about 13-15 feet above the waterline. A temporary repair was made in Juneau the next day. Replacement service for the villages of Hoonah, Angoon, Kake, and Tenakee has been provided through a combination of revisions to the M/V Taku schedule, and contract service with Alaska Catamarans' M/V St. Aquilina. The M/V Lite Weight has provided some vehicle transport service during the four weeks the LeConte has been out for repairs. UPDATE Friday PM... The Alaska Marine Highway System announced Friday that its previous expectation that the M/V LeConte would be able to resume its schedule on Sunday morning, January 1, has been revised to Wednesday due to required repairs to replace a switch related to the vessel's fast rescue boat (FRB). The LeConte's regular Sunday voyage to Haines and Skagway, and on Monday/Tuesday to Sitka and Kake, have consequently been cancelled. "Our plan at this time is to have the LeConte resume its schedule on Wednesday, January 4, with its 6:15 a.m. sailing from Juneau to Hoonah, Angoon, Kake and Petersburg," said Captain John Falvey, AMHS General Manager. "We have been delayed by an unexpected problem with a limit switch on the davit that lowers the vessel's starboard fast rescue boat. Fortunately, the replacement switch is on its way to Juneau, so we should be able to have it replaced, tested and ready to sail by Wednesday morning." The LeConte sailed from Bellingham
en route to Ketchikan Thursday night as expected, after undergoing
repairs to its propulsion shafts in Seattle. It is expected to
arrive in Juneau on Sunday, where the davit motor will be repaired.
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